Y’all. I am tired. Literally exhausted- mentally and emotionally. And I am so utterly heartbroken. I’ve always been one to argue, especially when it comes to something I’m passionate about. When I was younger, my dad often quoted Mark Twain, telling me “never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference”- but dammit I just can’t help it. I mean, if I can get ONE PERSON to come away from a conversation questioning what they thought they knew, then mission accomplished, right? My end goal isn’t necessarily to full on convince everyone that I’m right and they’re wrong. If I can challenge someone’s opinion and they then start to view things in a slightly altered way, then THAT is how change happens. Looking back on my life, I’ve said some horrible, ignorant, and embarrassing things. But, I admit to it, learn, and grow. I’ve come a long way, but I still have so much to learn and experience. Before this year, I had never been to a rally or protest. I’ve now advocated for the equity of my Muslim-American and black brothers and sisters, as well as for the reproductive justice and equal access to reproductive health care for those who are often left out of those important conversations.
I originally had a VERY different blog post sitting in my drafts, which I may post later, but in light of recent events (the Black Live Matter protest I attended and the backlash my roommates and I faced as a result), I feel a strong urge to post something a little different.
Here’s the deal- BLACK lives matter. Yes, all lives matter, but when we live in a society that deems the lives of POC as dispensable, it is important that we rally and stand together for that specific group of people. It is important that we actively work against the system of oppression that has conditioned us to be complacent about lives being reduced to hashtags. The BLM vs ALM is a blatant dehumanization of black people and outright debate on whether or not these lives are worth anything. When cries of black lives matter are met with screams of all lives matter, what does that do to progress the situation and take care of the marginalized community? Nothing. It derails the conversation and silences the voices of those who are hurting at the hands of our corrupt and broken system. It makes me physically ill. The only thing you are doing by backing “all lives matter” is perpetuating a culture that turns a blind eye when people are being murdered in cold blood. The general population will look for any reason to justify it- the person had a past criminal record, they should have followed orders, they shouldn’t have been carrying a firearm, the list goes on. News flash- victim blaming does nothing except make YOU feel better about the terrible, broken system in which we exist. As a white person, I have the option of either getting involved or turning the other way. It is a PRIVILEGE to decide if I want to stand in the sidelines because it doesn’t affect my life. My dad called me the other day to tell me that my mom was worried that I was putting myself in danger by going to the protest. That's the thing- I'm not in any more danger by being there than by being in any other situation in my daily life. And that is my privilege. And because I want a world where my friends of color don’t have to question their safety every time they leave the house or get pulled over, I refuse to stay silent. As a white ally, I have a moral responsibility to challenge and hopefully educate all of you who hide behind “all lives matter”. I’ve decided that the best and easiest way to go about this is to offer direct rebuttals to actual arguments I’ve heard against BLM. Let’s go.
1) Black Lives Matter implies that other lives don’t 2) What’s wrong with saying ALL Lives Matter? That includes black lives!!
1) Nope. Not even close. Where are you getting that from? If I advocate for AIDs research, do you assume that I don’t care about research for other diseases? If I say “save the whales”, will you push back saying that we should save all animals? Probably not. You’re reading into an imaginary “only” in front of BLM probably because you’re uncomfortable. And that’s okay. Addressing privilege IS uncomfortable, but it still needs to happen. Honestly, we’re all a little bit racist. We’ve been raised in a culture that teaches us to fear those unlike ourselves. And even those of us who are moving past that mentality still benefit from a system that keeps POC at a disadvantage. Acknowledging our privilege and vocalizing that black lives DO matter does not diminish the validity of other lives- just as granting other marginalized groups their rights does not take away the rights for those who already had them (i.e. same sex marriage did not take away from heterosexuals also getting married).
2) You’re right. Saying all lives matter is cool, when it’s not a direct response to BLM, and when you ACTUALLY mean it. If all lives matter, then WHY is it such a problem for people to advocate for the lives of black people? And if your immediate response to Black Lives Matter is All Lives Matter, why such a huge push for “Blue” Lives Matter? I thought ALL lives matter? There’s a really wonderful ELI5 post here that explains why this is so problematic.
There are consequences for your actions. These people weren’t doing as they were told and they paid for their actions. Haven’t you ever broken a rule before?
Sure. Of course I have. But the consequence for my actions, as a white person, has never been a bullet to the chest. Let’s look specifically at Philando Castille for a second. He was pulled over for allegedly having a busted taillight (the accuracy of this claim is uncertain). The officer asked to see his license and registration. Calmly and respectfully, Philando told the officer that he was armed, that he had a concealed carry permit, and that he was reaching into his pocket to get his ID. The officer then shot him 4 times. Four. Can I ask what it is he did to somehow provoke this? This man was killed in front of his four year old daughter, and for what? For directly obeying the officers orders? Why is it that an officer can de-escalate a situation with a violent white man and send him away in handcuffs, but is somehow rendered unable to do the same in the presence of black man, combative or otherwise, and instead send that man away in a body bag? I can’t be the only one who sees the lack of logic here, can I? I would also like to point out that, on average, police go through 58 hours of firearm training and 49 hours of defensive tactics training compared to a meager 10 hours for communication skills and 8 hours for de-escalation. Source
BUT!! BLACK ON BLACK CRIME!!! They can kill each other and it’s no big deal, but when we do it, it’s racist?!?!
Okay pause- DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF?? Are you trying to JUSTIFY the murder of a human being, just because other murders exist? Is that what you’re doing? WHAT? W H A T ?????? Are you trying to get PERMISSION to MURDER someone just because people of their own race also do it? This is literally the most ridiculous rhetoric I’ve ever heard. Honestly. But let’s look at this black on black crime you so quickly pull out. Black Lives Matter is a protest movement against, yes, police brutality, on the SURFACE level. Overall, the movement is bringing up issues rooted much deeper. They are protesting the inherent racism that is engrained in our society. They are protesting the system that encourages the cycle of poverty and crime and keeps POC at a disadvantage. That being said, black on black crime is a DIRECT RESULT of racial injustice. To whip out “black on black crime” every time you’re uncomfortable is to insinuate that black people don’t care that people are being murdered within their own communities. Don’t be silly. Of course they do. But standing on the steps of a capitol building protesting black on black crime does nothing to shed light on racism within our justice system. It’s so much larger than just black on black crime. This is only part of it. It also doesn’t make any sense to bring it up as an argument against BLM because, really, WHAT is your point? The majority of homicides against white people are committed by other white people. Crime is often racially segregated. When people shout “black on black crime” all I hear is “I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I’m uncomfortable, so let me throw around facts that are irrelevant”. Talking about racially segregated crime doesn’t serve ANY purpose when talking about racial injustice or police brutality- unless you are bringing it up to prove a point about the injustice and are discussing the disadvantages faced by POC that lead to these crimes.
Yeah, well, more white people are killed by cops anyway.
Sure. When you compare deaths alone, it’s true. But you have to adjust for population. Since January 1st, 2015, police have killed 732 white people and 381 black people (as of Sunday July 10th, 2016). However, black people make up approximately 13% of the population while white people are 62%. In 2014, the US population was 318.9 million. Broken down, that equates to 41,457,000 black people and 197,718,000 white people. A difference of 156,261,000. If that number represented seconds, it would equate to just under FIVE YEARS worth of time, just to put the difference into a different perspective. The point is that black people are DISPROPORTIONATELY targeted and killed by police. Making up 62% of the population, white people make up around 49% of those killed by police. Contrariwise, black people make up 24% of those killed by police despite being 13% of the population. See how statistics work? Black Americans are 2.5% more likely to be shot and killed by police. “Of all of the unarmed people shot and killed by police in 2015, 40 percent of them were black men, even though black men make up just 6 percent of the nation’s population. And, when considering shootings confined within a single race, a black person shot and killed by police is more likely to have been unarmed than a white person. About 13 percent of all black people who have been fatally shot by police since January 2015 were unarmed, compared with 7 percent of all white people.” Just saying. Not to mention that just generally speaking, black people are more likely to be stopped by police, therefore increasing the number of situations in which one could potentially be fatally shot.
But, all the numbers and facts aside, if you’re SO upset about how more white people are killed by cops, then where is your outrage against police brutality? Oh wait. It’s just a ploy to avoid confronting your privilege, you don’t ACTUALLY care. Just like how the argument against refugees is that we can’t even take care of our own veterans/homeless population/etc., yet you actively do nothing to actually help take care of those people. Check mate.
I hope this covered an adequate number of angles and arguments to, at the very least, help some of you think about why BLM is so important. It is important to understand the history of racism in this country and how it plays a huge role in our current society. Those are my final thoughts, God bless you, God bless America, and take care. ;)
